Cleveland Browns grab first preseason win, take down Bears, 33-13

Michael Allen Blair/MBlair@21st-centurymedia.com
Browns' quarterback Johnny Manziel unloads a pass behind the blocking by offensive lineman Reid Fragel during the second quarter of Thursday's final preseason game versus the Bears in Cleveland.

Brian Hoyer wanted to make a statement with a touchdown drive Aug 28 in the final preseason game, and he did.

Now if only Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau can be persuaded to play his second-stringers in the season opener Sept. 7.

Hoyer played one series in a 33-13 romp over the Bears and made the most of it. He carved up Chicago’s third-team cornerbacks by completing 6-of-8 passes in a 13-play, 85-yard march to the end zone that ended with Ben Tate crashing across the goal line from the 1 with 5:01 left in the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The touchdown was the first in the first quarter for the Browns in the preseason. How much stock to put in it is open to debate since Bears coach Marc Trestman chose to rest his starters, but the Browns will take it.

Hoyer engineered 16 drives in the preseason. He produced two touchdowns and three field goals.

“I told the guys in the huddle regardless who they’re playing out there, it’s all about us,” Hoyer said afterward. “If we have that mentality and do that, we’ll be just fine. Obviously it’s a good thing to go 85 yards and punch it in.

“We weren’t stressing out. We all knew what we were capable of.”

The Browns will exit with a 1-3 preseason record, and they will probably have to carry undrafted rookie running back Isaiah Crowell with them because they won’t be able to sneak him to the practice squad — not now. Crowell had two carries for three yards in the first three games. He rushed 13 times for 102 yards against the Bears.

One was a 48-yard touchdown run.

Rosters have to be cut to 53 by 6 p.m. Aug. 30.

“The running back spot will be a difficult thing,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said. “He certainly flashed his big-play ability. He’s a bigger back. He ran a couple guys over and at the same time he ran away from some guys. It was stuff he showed in practice and it was good to show up in a game.”

Crowell was standing outside the X-ray room after the game, but seemed fine afterward in the locker room.

Johnny Manziel followed Hoyer and put on a show. He is Evel Knievel in cleats. If nothing else, his running on the read option plays called by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan gave LeBeau reason to fret.

Manziel finished off the first half and played a series in the third quarter before giving way to Rex Grossman.

The highlight of Manziel’s preseason was a scramble and a pass to Nate Burleson for 27 yards on the play before he threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jim Dray at the back of the end zone.

“I just ran my route,” Burleson said. “When I saw him scramble, I realized I could turn around and block for him or give him an option. He’s not always looking to run. He wants to get rid of the ball. I locked eyes with him and I knew he was going to throw the ball. I just had to find a window and be aware of my surroundings.”

There is no way Hoyer could have made the hookup to Burleson. The blocking broke down.

Manziel began to run, but kept his eyes downfield. Amazingly, no offensive linemen were penalized for being downfield illegally.

Instead of running across the line of scrimmage, as he did twice for 30 yards later in the half, Manziel saw Burleson open and fired a strike to the 12-year veteran at the 1. Then he bought time to finish off the drive on a snap throw to Dray to give the Browns a 14-13 lead.

“Falls into the category of Johnny being Johnny,” Pettine said. “A couple of those plays were ‘No, no, no, yes’ — but that’s what he does. That, to me, is what he brings to the table. He just needs to get more comfortable in his reads, take the easy throws that are there. He’s certainly shown why he has the reputation that he does.”

Manziel finished with six completions on 17 attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown. He carried the ball four times for 55 yards and helped put a total of 13 points on the board — the touchdown pass to Dray and a pair of field goals by Billy Cundiff.

Manziel was not happy with the way he passed the ball, particularly early. He threw a wobbly pass to Travis Benjamin and floated a balloon to Charles Johnson. Both players were clobbered.

But Manziel flashed his confidence when asked whether he could run against top NFL defenses the way he ran against the Bears.

“It worked in Washington,” he said, referring to plays Shanahan called for Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

The night wasn’t all candy and lollipops for the Browns, as lopsided as the final score appeared to be.

Rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert, picked eighth overall in the 2014 drafted, gave a huge cushion to Santonio Holmes and then missed a tackle on the nine-year veteran from Ohio State on a play that went for 32 yards and a touchdown that gave the Bears a temporary 10-7 lead.

Aside from giving Hoyer a tuneup for the season opener, Pettine used the final preseason game to determine final roster spots at wide receiver, safety, inside linebacker and the defensive line.

Seven different receivers caught passes. Miles Austin, a starter, did not catch a pass. Undrafted rookie Willie Snead caught three and another undrafted rookie, Taylor Gabriel, caught a pair.

About the Author

Jeff has covered the Cleveland Browns since 1981. He also covers the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League. Reach the author at jschudel@news-herald.com
or follow Jeff on Twitter: @jsbrownsinsider.